Fence



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID MESSICK, OF TIMBERVILLE, VIRGINIA.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,616, dated January '7, 1896.

Application filed April 23, 1895. Serial No. 546,864. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, DAVID MSSICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Timberville, in the county of Rockingham and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to fences.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and durable wire fence, and furthermore to provide simple means for stretching the wires to take up the sag therein. Vith these objects in view the invention consists in certain features of construction and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side view of my improved fence. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view through one of the end posts and the tension-rods for taking up the sag in the wires.

In the drawings, l denotes the sill of the fence.

2 denotes the end posts and 3 the intermediate posts.

4 denotes the diagonal braces and 5 a horizontal brace for strengthening the end posts, to which the wire-tightening devices are applied. The wires 6 are secured to one of the end posts and passed through staples '7, secured to the intermediate posts, thence through holes S in the other end post, and are spaced apart by the bars 9, having staples 10, through which the wires pass.

A fence thus constructed is simple and is also very strong and durable.

- In order to take up the sag in the Wires, should they become stretched or strained, I provide simple and novel tighteners, which form a part of the fence. These tighteners consist of short cylinders 11, having three grooves 12, the two end ones of which are adapted to engage pins 13, driven into the fence-post below the cylinders to prevent the latter from twisting, while the middle groove is adapted to receive the end of the wire to be tightened and allow the same to be coiled therein. A series of holes 14E are formed around the cylinders and extend entirely therethrough, and are adapted to receive pins l5, which pass through said holes and into sockets 16 in the sides of the post. The ends of the cylinders are squared, whereby a wrench 17 may be engaged therewith for the purpose of turning the rods.

In operation, when it is desired to take up the sag in the wires, the wrench 17 is placed on the end of one of the rods and the cylinder is then rotated until the wire has been sufficiently tightened, and one of the holes therein is brought into alignment with one of the sockets in the post. The pins l5 are now inserted through the holes in the cylinder into the sockets of the post and will prevent the backward rotation of the cylinder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A fence, comprising a sill, end posts and intermediate posts, diagonal braces, one extending from the top of one of the end posts to the bottom of one of the intermediate posts, and the other extending from the bottom of this intermediate post to the top of the other intermediate post, a cross brace extending from the latter intermediate post to the post at the opposite end of the sill, wires strung to said posts, spacing bars having staples, through which said wires pass, pins projecting from the side of one of the end posts, grooved cylinders supported by said pins and having the ends of the wires wound in the grooves, and removable pins inserted through holes in the cylinders and the post to hold the cylinders in place against turning and unwinding the wires, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

" DAVID MESSICK.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH A. McKELvEY, JOHN S. NEFF. 

